


Precautions

by Shennyfac31



Category: Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Headcanon, My First Fanfic, Resurrection (kind of)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 11:02:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14103945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shennyfac31/pseuds/Shennyfac31
Summary: He’d always known that his soul might be blown out one day.That’s exactly why he had taken precautions.





	Precautions

**Author's Note:**

> I always hope that the Beast will survive in the end, but since he's the Death of Hope, well...  
> At least I managed to bring him back in my HEADCANON!  
> Also, first fanfic, so... sorry if it sucks ><

He’d always known that his soul might be blown out one day. That fire, so small, so fragile, just like the fading hope of those who had lost in his forest, was doomed to diminish into nothingness despite all of his struggle to keep it alive.

Powerful as he is, with all the mental, physical, and magical abilities, he was never safe. Not when his very life can be put out in an instant, with little effort as a single breath. He hated this secret weakness, especially when it was held in those hands of his clumsy, ignorant, meddling lantern bearer, who wouldn’t bat an eye to betray him once the truth was revealed. Besides, there were also risks of him dropping the lantern or forgetting to feed it. His soul was on the verge of perishing every minute of his whole life, and this is just as unbearable as it sounds.

That’s exactly why he had taken precautions.

*** *** ***  
The Woodsman looked into the glass of the dark lantern. The light inside seemed to project a fiery silhouette of his daughter right upon his watered eyes. Even though he had figured out that it was all a lie, he simply couldn’t bring himself to extinguish the fire of hope he’d worked so hard for without hesitation. He watched on as his own wavering hand reached out and opened the lantern, ignoring the Beast’s whispers in his ears. His stare hardened as tears threatening to fall.

Then he snuffed out the flame.

Everything dissolved into darkness, though the darkness itself held no malice as before. The woods fell silent without the murmur of the Beast, and through the silence the Woodsman finally found the peace that he had forsaken long ago.

“Goodbye, Beatrice.”  
“Goodbye, Wirt.”

The meaning of those exchanges hit him after a while. So the brothers and the bird are leaving already? He was so absorbed in his tragic thoughts of his daughter that he completely forgot about the boys! How are they going to find their way home in the forest now without even a light source? If he had another lantern now, he would be happy to light up their roads. But no, not with the dark lantern! Who knows what would be the consequences if he dared to ever ignite it again! The thought alone made him shudder. No, he will never put everyone in danger with such a reckless act. In fact, he would have destroyed the lantern if he had had any strength left in him.

Listening carefully, he could now hear the fluttering of wings, further and further away from the spot he stayed. It must be the blue bird! However, he couldn’t hear anything from the boy who had released him from his burden. Wirt, as he recalled. He heard no sounds from Wirt, like he had suddenly disappeared with his brother after bidding goodbye to his friend. The Woodsman tried to call out to him, to ask him if he needed his company, but he got no response from him.

This is strange, but the Woodsman was too tired to figure it out now. He should really rest for a while after all he went through today, so he sat down against a tree and closed his eyes.

He was in no hurry to return home and face the cold reality. After all, the night was still long, and the snow clouds had covered every single light from the stars and the half-moon. He could hardly find his way back in the dark. The sensible way would be to wait here till the morning. He had enough experiences spending the night in the forest before as the lantern bearer. Perhaps he could start a fire? That might call Wirt’s attention if he’s still around here. The Woodsman was really worried about the boy. He hoped nothing bad happened to him. Those children reminded him of his own daughter. As he thought of her, all the sadness came crashing back on him, and he mourned for her again in the snow-covered woods.

Buried deep in his sorrow, he didn’t notice the black turtle crawling beside him.

*** *** ***  
When the light from the lantern went out, Wirt realized two things.

First, he was no longer in the forest. The surrounding seemed more like… somewhere exists only in dreams and fairy tales. There were soft, white clouds everywhere, strange-but-happy-looking creatures dancing around, and a pure light from above. This looked even less realistic than the Unknown, but it didn’t startle him as much as it should.

The second thing he realized was that there’s a lady standing in front of him. She had baby blue hair wrapped together by a golden crown, a pair of wings that seemed to be made of puffy clouds, and a kind smile on her face. Little birds circled around her head in a harmonious way that dazzled him a bit along with the brightness coming from behind her.

“Hello, Wirt.” The lady greeted, “I am the Queen of the Clouds.”

“YOU!” A voice nearby shouted. Wirt turned and saw Beatrice hovering in the air. “You are the one that turned me and my families into blue birds!”

“WHAT?” Wirt felt his eyes widened, and he backed away from the Queen of the Clouds.

“I did,” said the Queen. Her smile faded for a little while. “But that was to teach you a lesson. I will turn you all back now you’ve learned how to treat others with kindness.”

“Well, thank you so much for your concern!” Beatrice sneered, “But really, save yourself the trouble. I’ve got the scissors already.”

“I’m afraid those scissors wouldn’t work, Beatrice.” The Queen shook her head, “The magic in them is fading now that Adelaide is gone.”

“What? Oh… guess I didn’t expect that when I let the fresh air in…” she mumbled.

“However, you can take this with you.” The Queen raised her wand and a bag of dirt appeared before them. “Put some on your family and they will all become human again.”

“Oh… thank you.” Beatrice nodded, sincerely this time. “What about Wirt?”

“If he wishes, I can send him home with his brother.”

“Really?” Wirt’s eyes shone happily for a moment. “Wait, why are you helping me?” Can he trust her for that? Or will she turn him into some cloud or bird or whatever that is on her mind?

“I want to thank you for defeating the Beast.” She smiled again, “Of course, if you want to stay, I shall grant you another wish.”

“No, I want to go home with Greg.” Wirt said, lowering his head. Everything comes to an end. It’s time for him to say goodbye now.

“As you wish.” The Queen took his hand, and Wirt jolted awake in the woods.

He’s been… Sleeping? Dreaming? He looked around, and saw the Queen standing beside him, though her presence was rather… transparent, with a dim glow around her.

The sound of wings caught his attention. Wirt turned to give Beatrice a sad smile.

“Goodbye, Beatrice.”  
“Goodbye, Wirt.”

As the blue bird flew off, the glow from the Queen encompassed Greg and Wirt, and suddenly they were standing by a lake. Some parts of its surface were frozen, and a big fish was sitting in a boat… fishing?

“I should also bid you goodbye then.” The Queen motioned to the water, “Just dive in the lake and you can return to your world.”

“What? I mean… it looks pretty deep… and cold. Are you sure there is no danger if we dive in?”

“No, as long as you truly wish to go home.” She placed her hand on his shoulder, and added in a serious tone, “You must be sure, and never look back. Just think solely about your home.”

The last time she tried to guide him home through the lake, by the wish of Gregory, it didn’t end well. His bonds to his brother and friends were too strong that they kept him in the Unknown and nearly drowned him. This time, with Gregory at his side, the Queen hope that Wirt would be determined enough to get back. After all, one must have home on their minds to steer them back.

“Okay…” Wirt took a deep breath. “I think I am ready.”

He was just about to set foot in the water when the fish caught something on its rod. It was a black turtle. The Queen frowned at this.

“So soon…?” She mumbled under her breath.

“What’s wrong?” Wirt asked, concerned.

“Nothing. It’s just…” She didn’t look happy.

Wirt felt a little uneasy at her expression. Clearly something was wrong. What could it be? Should he be worried? Does this have anything to do with him going home?

“Never mind, you should go now.” The Queen spread her wings, “Remember to focus on your home.”

She took flight after Wirt jumped into the lake, the birds around her head circling even faster as her thoughts run wild. Instead of returning to the Cloud City, she flew straight towards Pottsfield.

She should talk to Enoch about this, and perhaps to Whispers later.

She had to sort things out quick.

*** *** ***  
Enoch popped his feline head out of the pumpkin costume when he was visited by the Queen of the Clouds, a curious expression on his face.

“The Queen,” he greeted, “what brings you to my fields?”

“Enoch,” the Queen nodded her head, “as you know, the Beast is defeated--”

“--Again?” Enoch chuckled, “He should be more careful. Was it the Woodsman?”

“Yes, but it’s a boy who found out his secret.” A smile ghosted her lips at the memory of the brothers, but it melted into wariness as she continued, “However, I saw some unsettling things earlier.”

“What?”

“The Fish caught a black turtle in the lake.”

“A black turtle… you mean the kind that I’m thinking about?”

“Certainly,” the Queen confirmed, “it’s not an ordinary turtle.”

“Well…” Enoch pondered for a while, “Have you asked Whispers about it yet?”

“I’m going to do that later.” She nodded, “That is, if you find this as alerting as I do. No need to startle her with such a visit if things turn out to be normal. Especially when her girl had just recovered from the illness.”

“I agree.” He said, pushing out of his costume. “How about we take a little walk in the forest before we get there?”

“Sure. It’s better to look into the woods a little more.” She turned and they walked out of the barn side by side.

*** *** ***  
They saw some Edelwoods along the road, which is not a good sign.

Enoch had destroyed the lantern once, and it was a long time ago, when they hadn’t even settled the border of their realms. It was out of pure luck really. He didn’t know the Beast’s life depends on the lantern until then.

And clearly, after that, the Beast wouldn’t let him get near his lantern ever again.

The Queen of the Clouds is the only one he shared the knowledge with. Not that he didn’t tell anybody about his discoveries, but the Beast had been gone for a long time, and only the two of them lived long enough to remember him.

That is, until he came back, and the first thing he did was to ensure no one else would know about his weakness. That’s how the three of them made an agreement, or, deal. The Queen and Enoch will keep the information of the lantern between themselves as long as the Beast locks the Old North Wind away for the Queen and sets up signs leading to Pottsfield in the forest.

It might have been centuries, but Enoch can still recall that, when the Beast died, all the Edelwoods in the forest withered, and the black turtles disappeared.

Unlike now.

The turtles in the basket crawled upon each other, oozing what would be called “wickedness” by the witch standing beside them. She devoted herself to cleaning such burden from the Unknown. Enoch admired her spirit.

The witch, Whispers, was having tea with her ward when they knocked upon her door. They asked to check on the turtles, which she gladly agreed. The young woman even offered them tea while they’re at it. It’s obvious that something really good had just happened to them after a long time. However, both their cheerfulness and the tea were incapable of lifting the unease. When the Queen and Enoch looked into the basket, they knew it was bad news.

Usually it takes a long time for the black turtles to return.

Usually it takes even longer for the Edelwood trees to come back to life.

Both are signs of the Beast’s returning.

*** *** ***  
Dying was unpleasant.

The Beast knew that already. The moment was fast but waiting for revival last forever, not to mention losing all those powers he accumulated for centuries from the lost souls. It’s just unpleasant, to say the least.

Well, he wouldn’t have died if he had a choice.

Nature has patience, and so does he, though that didn’t make the wait any less miserable or hopeless. He had to wait until every Edelwood withered into ashes, so the wind could spread and carry them. And if by chance, by a slight chance that appears perhaps once in a million year, the wind blew some of the ashes into an open lantern of a traveler in the woods, then he would be revived.

He had waited too long for this to happen before.

Thus, he decided to higher the chance this time.

It was actually the boy that inspired him. The older brother, the bane of his existence.

How ironic.

His heart had skipped a beat when Wirt knocked the lantern out of the Woodsman’s hand. He thought his flame might die from the impact, but when it flickered and roared into life, consuming a nearby Edelwood tree, it was one of the best things he ever experienced. It was wasteful, he had to admit, but the sensation was beyond his words.

It was even more thrilling when the scene purposed a solution to him.

He had come back after he distracted the Woodsman, making him think that he had gone after the two brothers, and lured him far from the spot with his song. He had silently put another lantern inside the remains of the tree, buried with ashes.

As he now took the lantern out of the burnt-down tree, with the little sparks dancing in it, he couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. All according to plan.

He didn’t even have to wait this time.

Of course, he was still weak. Dying takes its toll. He would need Edelwood oil to amend that. At least now he wouldn’t need to grow them all again. He should start with the turtles first though, since they are more condensed, a treat he only feasts on in dire situations like this. They are constants. They went into the void with him when he perished, and came back again as he revived. They are the darkest secrets and regrets of the lost souls.

He would bury a new lantern in this tree. Maybe he would also burn down some of the smaller, dryer, well-hidden Edelwoods and put lanterns in them later. Just for insurance.

Oh, and he would certainly exact revenge on the Woodsman after he gained enough strength. The thought excites him, and he knew his recovery will be faster than last time. Promising future.

He started to sing as he roamed again in the woods of the Unknown.


End file.
